In The Waiting

I was in a group of that was studying Matthew 6 and the word hypocrite came up a few times and the very same question and concern came up for a lot of people. The concern was to distinguish when is it seen as being a hypocrite and when is it seen as being genuine? 

We question people's intention a lot when it comes to seeing what they do in church in the presence of church events. We question if what they are doing is something genuine of are they being religiously pious. The passages mentions how we should not pray like the Pharisees who pray in public, to fast in secret and to give without telling. But it is does not really mean that we stop corporate prayers, withhold our journey of fasting. So when we see someone praying in a corporate setting, and sense that the person praying seems to be exerting  piousness, we then question intentions. 

Just as it is seen in the church but it is also applies everywhere else. We question people in almost every regards to life, consciously or subconsciously. We hear people say one thing and we will question if what is being said and done to be genuine.

The idea here; even though not applicable to every situation; is to find consistency. 

When we see someone praying religiously, we ought to see in their everyday life and find some sort of consistency in the way they talk and approach to be similar. So this is seen in other aspects in life where we come to hear all kind of things from people and sometimes we get very different response from them. Although things do change from time to time but the nature of a lot of things do not necessarily change much, and even if it does it changes slowly and very objectively.

I have been thinking through some of the things that people have been telling me for the past few months and what has it come to now. There are so many contradictions that have come to be in ways that does not depend on circumstances but in nature. So it is either what I hear from them are all superficial or without care.